THE CAMELBACK FELLOWSHIP

OUR APPROACHThe Camelback Fellowship is a six-month program that supports the development of both founder and venture. Camelback provides coaching, capital, and connections through the Fellowship, believing that these three pillars are critical to the evolution and success of any organization. Furthermore, there is a systemic lack of access to these primary factors (coaching, capital, and connections) for people of color and women, and it is why these are the foundation of our work. Additionally, we build community and share our carefully curated entrepreneurial curriculum through experiential workshops.

Y'all see this alliteration? But seriously, these really are the tenets of our approach, and not just because they start with a c.

For a quick look at our program, check out our one-pager, or explore below to learn more about the key features of the Camelback Fellowship.

COACHING

Camelback gives each Fellow their own Startup Coach. This dedicated 1:1 coaching enables regular strategy, accountability, and thought partnership. Coaches can help with anything from listening to your pitch to making introductions to analyzing pricing strategies. Camelback also provides specialized coaching in key areas (such as developing measures of success or pitch deck design), and facilitates peer mentorship sessions within each purposefully chosen cohort.

Watch our 2016 video to get a quick overview of our program and hear from coaches (and Fellows talk about being coached!), team, and Fellows.

CAPITAL

Camelback offers "friends and family" stage funding and support to new leaders with promising ideas, and empowers them to enact change within their communities. Camelback invests $40,000 in each Fellow’s venture. After doing research and experimenting with different distribution models, we know that $40,000 of unrestricted funds can significantly accelerate early stage ventures. Fellows have used this money for a variety of things, such as running a pilot program, hiring an app developer, going full-time on their venture, traveling to high profile industry conferences, buying new equipment, and funding the development of new community spaces. We facilitate introductions with investors and opportunities to develop connections during and after the Fellowship.

CONNECTIONS

Camelback facilitates the building of important relationships for Fellows in a number of ways, both during and after the Fellowship. There are opportunities to meet with investors and potential partners throughout the program, particularly at in-person Summits. Each Summit offers workshops with field experts and community networking events. The final Summit includes a Showcase in the Bay Area in which Fellows have the opportunity to pitch to a large audience of potential stakeholders. Camelback also provides opportunities for attendance at notable conferences and gatherings in the space.

COMMUNITY

The entrepreneurial journey can often be a lonely one, but it doesn’t have to be. For people of color and women, the space to connect and learn from like-minded peers with similar struggles and successes is paramount. Whether it’s asking if someone has a recommendation for a developer studio or just commiserating about a shared experience, the Camelback fam has got you covered. Camelback prioritizes the building of a close community whenever possible, with Summits and virtual small group discussions designed to facilitate connections. We think Fellows tell it best though -- read their blogs and watch the video below.

CURRICULUM

We prioritize the hustle over the hype. We studied the top reasons why startups fail, and we know entrepreneurs of color and women face additional hurdles. So, we’ve built an entrepreneurial curriculum to help our founders build a solid foundation for success. Some of Camelback’s workshops include best practices for stakeholder management, how to make little bets that pay off, being pitch ready for any audience, and how to get (and manage) the right people on your team.

Our curriculum is largely delivered through our Summits, three gatherings over the course of the Fellowship.